This weekend I was planning on backpacking in somewhere to fish and camp. I was hoping someone knew of a good place to go hike in, fish, camp, and get in deep enough to get away from it all. I have only flyfished the smokies a few times, but it was awesome and i really want to try it again. Thanks. PAtrick

From the little experience I have on the subject I would say Hiking in above Elkmont would be a great option. Unfortunately campsite #24 has been closed due to bear activity. You could hike further up to campsite #30, but the water might be too skinny to fish (Although its been pouring here in buckets lately...)

Campsite #18 on the West Prong of the LR is another option assuming that the water has come up some.

The NC side has some good options as well. If you want to hike a ways, you could hike up Eagle Creek from the Fontana Dam and stop at a few different sites. Also, I believe you could take the "road to nowhere" outside of Bryson City to Noland Creek and hike in from there. There are a few site on that stream as well.

There are some folks on the board that do a lot of hiking/fishing, I'm looking forward to their suggestions...This is a subject that I'd really like to learn a lot more about as well.

Does anyone know of a guidebook to the backcountry campsites in the Smokies? I've found limited info from different sources, but nothing that really covers all of the backcountry sites. Most of the "tent" camping books deal with the fee-area sites and not the backcountry sites. John Malloy has written a book that describes a few of the backcountry sites, but only lightly, and only as part of overnight loop hikes.

My sons and I hiked into and camped at #20 a few weeks back and never saw another soul. It was a great site (unfortunately not close to a fishable stream), but we are always looking for great backcountry adventures...

I am going this weekend by myself and I have it narrowed down to two camp sites; either 18 or 53. I thought about going to 53 and fishing deep creek because the trail runs most of the lenght of the trail and its a relatively short 4 mile hike to the camp site. 18 is the other suggestion that I got from Vern because he said it was a beautiful campsite and hopefully the rain will help bring up the water some. The downside to 18 I can see is that the trail does not follow the creek at all.

Anyway I am probably going to be going to 53 and if you would like to meet up and go you are more than welcome to join me. Does any one have any feedback on deep creek? I read on of ttas67's reports and he said that water was down alittle so I think that the rain will help that too.

I hope the weather holds out on me. I have been doing some research and it looks like the hike out of 53 will be tough but I just "borrowed" my sister's camera so I hope to have lots of pictures to share of my trip. Good luck on the Caney.

Remind Giantfish to mend his line, and I'm sure he'll have one on in no time.

perhaps coming in from the bottom to 54 might be more fishable.....you come up the deep creek drainage. coming down, you are on fork ridge trail and do not have as much access as you would coming up. neither trail will be crowded (even in july).